2009 vintage. Dark brown/black with a small collar of tan head. Highlights of this beer was the oak flavors and dark fruit flavors. I got a nice amount of brandy barrels, plums, molasses, and dark dried cherries. Chocolate. Sweet for a stout, but in a good way. A dessert beer. Very smooth and rich. Incredible stuff.

The beer appears a dark cola brown with a broken bubbly tan head. The aroma brings oak, roast, a hint of red wine. Sweet with prominent port character. A hint of molasses and a touch of spice. Not boozy sweet, more like dessert wine. Low carbonation and smooth. Distant cherry notes. Delicious.

Done work for the day; gorgeous weather... Headed out to the 'Zebo with a bottle of '09 Double-Oaked Kate (a long-ago gift from Mr. Mott).

Very deep, dark, opaque brown, with a thin, rapidly receding head. What foam there is has a beige hue, and leaves some lacing here and there... Aroma is quite sweetish now, with a lot of dark fruit present. The feel is quite smooth, with minimal prickle, but the body is a bit thinner than I expected.

Flavorwise, it also has lots of dark fruit. I get some raisin and date action, plus some currants. It is a touch sweet, with some subtle choco, but it also has a lot of sherry and port notes. The finish checks in with a smidge of slightly tart florality. Still pretty good after 4+ years, though nowhere near as good as a regular, fresh Kate.

2011 22oz bottle into a few glasses. Words can’t even begin to describe the thanks I have to Stakem for whipping this one out on us during a tasting. Black with a smooth dark mocha head. Robust retention and lacing. Smells of OAK big time, which is complimented by additional rich notes of dark fruit, vanilla, chocolate cake and roasted coffee. Oak is rather strong here. Taste is more of the same, with tart dark fruit, baker’s chocolate, coffee, some toffee and a splash of vanilla. Woody edges and finish. Full bodied with a smooth carbonation and some slickness from the oak. Alcohol is well hid. Double Oaked is right but general richness of Kate flavors won’t be overpowered. It’s a really interesting take on an already great beer. Thanks for sharing this rarity Adam!

The body is black as pitch and pours nearly flat. The nose leans toward sweet molasses, chocolate and port. There's a nice grainy oatmeal backbone, and a rubbery oak note that pops out more as it warms. It's much more port and oak dominant on the palate, slightly tart, vinous. Chocolate and oatmeal, a subtle touch of rubber from the oak. Full bodied, silky, light on roast and ash, though the oak lends an astringent note to the finish. This is quite good, though I prefer regular Kate a bit more.

Reviewing the infamous Double Oaked Kate The Great from Portsmouth Brewery out of New Hampshire. Wales bro!
Score: 87

2011 vintage bottle served in a Kate the Great snifter and enjoyed on 12/14/12.

Appearance: Ink black in color with a thin layer of beige head that settles to a bubbly ring around the glass. Good lacing, excellent retention. 4.5/5

Smell: Lots of fruitiness, dark fruitiness and then fudge. Much fruitier than the 2011 regular Kate we just drank. Some vanilla, but not much oak at all. Lots of red grape sweetness. The aged regular Kate lost a lot of its balance with nearly two years of age, with the vinous port qualities taking over; the Double Oaked Kate followed suit. Sweeter in the nose than regular Kate. As it warms up, more fudge comes through. 4/5

Taste: Quite sweet and vinous. A lot more so than regular Kate. Borderlines too sweet in my opinion. Lots of port and red grape sweetness, followed by mild vanilla and a hint of chocolate. There is ample fruitiness upfront too. Gets sugary-sweeter and fruitier as it warms. 3.5/5

Overall: Fresh, Kate The Great lived up to its reputation. However, aged, it was nothing special. The aged Double Oaked Kate was not that much better. This was an extreme let down of a beer. It's good, but it is not very complex.

Recommendation: Save your beer; what you'll have to give up to acquire this brew is likely better than this brew (at least with nearly 2 years of age).

Notes taken from 9/29 from the craziest bottle share that i have ever been a part of. Thanks so much to the NYC and Hoboken crew for letting me participate in this incredible day of drinking long time wants and insanity.

Thanks kindly to Mike for sharing. This was from the 2011 bottling and enjoyed side-by-side with a regular 2011 bottle of Kate the Great.

a - side-by-side with 11 Kate this one has a little more shine, but there is no head.
s - the double oaked nose is more oak smoothed over. in fact, we all found the 2011 to be a bit oxidized, but the double oaked version seems to swim over that oxidation with a strong oak presence which is a really nice compliment to the beer and seems to have made it a bit tougher against the devastation of time.
t - tastes a lot like kate, but there is more of a vanilla oak presence...duh. the oak seems to hide the coffee flavors. it really just puts a shine of vanilla/caramel oak on top of the regular. the regular kate carries some of the oxidation found in the nose in the taste as well.
m - bit of a slap in the face of oak. easier drinker than the regular kate which seems to have suffered a bit of degradation.
o - overall, it is an improvement on the original. it hides the dark fruit flavor and the oxidation of the regular. i am floored that i have now tried this beer. HOLY MOLY!